Moroccan media reported yesterday, 26 November 2014, that Swiss company Terra Sola Group AG, a one-stop shop developer for solar energy, has signed contracts with the Moroccan government to build 16 photovoltaic plants in Morocco. But several of the reported solar sites are not in Morocco, but in the parts of Western Sahara that have been illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975.

The seven sites that have already been identified include Ouarzazate and Ain Bni Mathar in Morocco proper, and Foum Al Oued and Boujdour in occupied Western Sahara. The Sebkat Tah area, just north of border between Morocco and Western Sahara, has also been included in the list.

Each plant will have a capacity of 25 megawatts.

Terra Sola is said to soon launch the construction and aims through its forthcoming listing on the Berlin Stock Exchange, aiming for a € 50 million contribution.

Morocco occupies the major part of its neighbouring country, Western Sahara. Entering into business deals with Moroccan companies or authorities in the occupied territories gives an impression of political legitimacy to the occupation. It also gives job opportunities to Moroccan settlers and income to the Moroccan government. Western Sahara Resource Watch demands foreign companies leave Western Sahara until a solution to the conflict is found.

It's not easy keeping up with all the different legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara. For the sake of clarity, here's an overview of the five different cases at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Leading activists from Western Sahara are condemned to sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment in connection to a mass protest in 2010 denouncing the Saharawi people’s social and economic marginalization in their occupied land; the Gdeim Izik protest camp.

At COP22, beware of what you read about Morocco’s renewable energy efforts. An increasing part of the projects take place in the occupied territory of Western Sahara and is used for mineral plunder, new WSRW report documents.